French paper to publish comic book life of Muhammad

A French weekly known for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to the ire of conservative Muslims said Sunday it plans to release a comic book biography of Islam’s founder that will be researched and educational.

Satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo has on several occasions depicted Islam’s prophet in an effort to defend free speech and defy the anger of Muslims who believe depicting Muhammad is sacrilegious.

“It is a biography authorised by Islam since it was edited by Muslims,” said Charlie Hebdo’s publisher and the comic’s illustrator, who goes by the name Charb.

The biography will be published Wednesday and was put together by a Franco-Tunisian researcher known only as Zineb, Charb said.

The publisher said the idea for the comic book came to him in 2006 when a newspaper in Denmark published cartoons of Muhammad, later republished by Charlie Hebdo, drawing angry protests across the Muslim world.

“Before having a laugh about a character, it’s better to know him. As much as we know about the life of Jesus, we know nothing about Muhammad,” Charb said.

In September Charlie Hebdo published cartoons of a naked Muhammad as violent protests were taking place in several countries over a low-budget film made in the United States that insults the prophet.

In 2011 Charlie Hebdo’s offices were hit by a firebomb and its website pirated after publishing an edition titled “Charia Hebdo” featuring several Mohammed cartoons.

In the 1973 ramandan war when the west supported israel the arab and muslim countries got together and installed a oil embargo against the west the main man was king faisal of arabia this hurt the west so much that it vowed to never be put into that position ever again and king faisal was martyred. Its clear the western governments don’t care about blaspheming islam and the prophet muhammed pbuh so its perfectly legitimate for oil producing muslim countries to put an oil embargo on the west until they stop sacrilegious everything.

NAeem I agree with you completly, I am not a muslim but to blaspheme anothers religion is wrang, Just think of the reaction if a cartoon was made of Jesus as a young man engaging in something blasphemous.All hell would break loose in the western world.

I really don’t know why that magazine is going to do that. Why some people don’t respect other ones? It’s not free speech. It’s only a proof that the world is very ill, and that those kind of persons don’t know the meaning of solidarity, compassion, friendship. Poor persons. They live in a cultural misery.

I didn’t know it was the job of the Police to protect Charlie from Charlie.. His drawing the Cartoons equates to putting a Gun to his own head.. If he’s that suicidal shouldn’t he be in a secure Hospital ?

I propose a campaign along the same line only instead of Mohammed (pbuh) the subject of such “wit and brilliance and freedom of speech” should be no other than Rabbi Schneerson or Maimonides. Heck any of their rabbis would do, they reverence the filthy old farts so highly!

@NAeem, you are absolutely correct, oil revenues are being squandered, instead of being used wisely, especially in the gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia, where fat old monarchs live in luxury, and care not for the people.. Watched the funeral for the murdered 18 year old, where, despite the ban on protest, the people were calling for an end to the Saudi monarchy.. brave people..

This blasphemous attack on Islam and the holy prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), is over 1400 years old, and is now in a modern sinister strategy and form. True followers of Islam will voice their anger and take steps to condemn such attacks, but will be truly triumphant if we follow and try to live the life of our Master , the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). We must ask ourselves, how would the prophet (PBUH) himself would have reacted in this situation. We know the answer. Just look at his exemplary and illustrious lifestyle and you will be guided to a better life. We do not need to degrade ourselves by reacting in a predictable way, and give satisfaction to cheap minded sheople.